Dark Hermione
by Kevyn
Summary: The Ministry of Magic investigates Hermione Granger's fall to the Dark. Interviews with Ginny Weasley, Ron Weasley, and Harry Potter. Also, the typical factmuddled article from the Daily Prophet by one James Skeeter.
1. Ginevra Weasley

Disclaimer: _The Harry Potter world and all its occupants belong to J.K. Rowling by virtue of the fact that she created them. This fanfic belongs to me by virtue of the fact that I created it. Any questions? Enjoy!_

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**Dark Hermione** **

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**_Ginevra Weasley_

Yeah, I saw it happening. I saw her withdraw from the world. It started after Professor Dumbledore's death.

I guess it was too much at one time. Dumbledore's murder. Snape's betrayal. Harry and Ron both leaving her to search for Voldemort's horcruxes.

I mean, I was upset, too. My boyfriend—who finally realized I was a woman and he loved me—and my brother both marching off to save the world. I mean, if _anybody _had a right to be upset…it would have been me—**_me!_**

No, I'm all right. Just give me a minute…Okay. No, I can talk about this. I _have _to talk about this.

To be fair, they were her best friends. Other than me, they were her _only _friends.

Her parents were muggles, and you know, most muggles, they just don't understand magic. I guess they knew she was being drained by the war. She was probably more haunted-looking every time they saw her. But how much help could they be when they didn't understand the problem? Of course they couldn't understand.

But I guess the disillusionment and the intense aloneness is what did it. She secluded herself completely, studying nonstop. She even resigned from her Head Girl position, saying it was too much work, that it distracted her from her studies.

I should have been a better friend, I guess. I should have wondered what she was studying so intensely, but I didn't. I never asked.

I did think it was strange that she didn't go with them. Harry and Ron, I mean. They were her best friends, and even though Ron'd had that thing with Lavender, I thought she still liked him, still cared. I guess I thought she figured she'd be more help to them if she stayed out of the way, researching anything that might help them. I didn't realize that the things she was reading…

I didn't even notice the first day she was missing. _I didn't even notice!_ She'd been so quiet and reserved—even more so than before—and I didn't notice. It was the next day—Saturday the 14th.

I was working on an essay for Professor Slughorn and having trouble with finding the history of the distilment process of draconic tears. I knew she'd know, and when I couldn't find her…the Headmistress almost fainted when I told her. She went all pale and said, "Oh no, Hermione!"

I don't understand. I just can't understand what made her do it. I've tried and tried and I just…can't. It must have been those Dark Arts books. She was so empty, so vulnerable, and the Dark Arts are so seductive.

The Dark Lord must have found out somehow and convinced her to join his efforts.

But it didn't have to happen. If I'd been a better friend, if I'd been there for her, this wouldn't have happened.

Shut up! Don't try to console me! What do you know about Hermione?

You're just some Ministry flunky they sent to take my statement. You want a statement from me? Huh? D'you want a statement?

I'll give you a statement! Hermione Granger is _not_ a dark witch—she is a _good_ person, damnit, a good person!

It's just that bad things keep happening to her, and people keep leaving her, and now you people are trying to cast her as the anti-potter. Anti-Potter, ha!

I am NOT hysterical!

Shutup!Shutup!Shutup! Shutup!Shutup!

click _Recording ends here._


	2. Ronald Weasley

_Ronald Weasley_

I dunno, what do you want me to say?

Hermione? That traitorous bitch! Oh, yes, I can tell you all about her! Turned dark, she did—and after everything we'd been through—she turned to You-Know-Who.

I mean Lord Voldemort. Harry always says to use his name. S'hard, though. Grown up calling him You-Know-Who.

No, I don't know why she turned. I'm no legillimens—know some occulmency, o course. I mean, you can't really fight…Voldemort…without being able to block your mind. Harry's a real natural. He taught me and Hermione.

Hermione was no great shakes at it. Couldn't fend off Harry, and he wasn't even attacking her hard. First thing she'd met that she couldn't master, probably. I mean, that was one of the reasons we left her behind when we when searching for the Horcruxes, Harry and me.

Well, we had hard work ahead of us, and much of it we'd need to be able to block from the prying mind of old snake-boy, and if Hermione couldn't even block Harry… Well, it was just better for all involved that she didn't go. She'd've been a target!

I mean, she was probably turning dark at the time, if she wasn't full dark already. People don't just _turn _dark, anyway, it's part of who they are, deep down. Hid it well, though, the little minx. _I _didn't even suspect her, and I was her boyfriend.

I didn't actually _know _she'd turned until the Battle of Privet Drive. I mean, we knew she'd left Hogwarts. Ginny sent us a letter—she was quite hysterical. Ranted about how _quiet _and _studious _Hermione'd been, and how she should have _noticed _something was wrong.

No idea where she got that rubbish from. Hermione was always quiet and studious. T

he Headmistress' letter was much more rational. But they didn't know where she'd gone. Hermione'd been spending a lot of time studying Dark Arts books, but none of us thought much of that—we figured she'd made some kind of breakthrough and rushed off to let us know.

I mean, of course I was _worried_.

She was my girlfriend, and I didn't _know _she was dark. We only started to get worried when nobody'd heard from her in a few weeks, and one night Harry even ventured to guess that she'd been captured.

That's when his dreams started. He has these visions sometimes in dreams—where he can see what Voldemort's doing. But of course You-Know-Who…Voldemort...knows about them, so he can manipulate them sometimes.

Anyway, in these dreams, Voldemort had Hermione and they were in Harry's Muggle family's house. I mean, we knew it was a trap, but didn't figure we had much choice if we wanted to _rescue_ Hermione. We let the Order know, of course.

No, I won't tell you who's in it.

No, I'm not in it. Not for lack of trying. Stupid age limits.

So we went to the house, and when we got inside, it looked like a normal muggle house to me. A bit messy, maybe, but Harry said his aunt would never stand for that, and that something was wrong.

Yeah, Voldemort was there. With about a million Death Eaters. Well, maybe twenty or so. And Hermione stood beside him, unbound, unshackled, and smiling.

She cast the first curse. The _Crucatius_. At Harry.

You know the rest. Muggles were dead, of course. I think Harry was crying more about that mudblood bitch's betrayal than about his dead relatives.

You let Voldemort know something for me: once a traitor, always a traitor. I'm not just talking about Hermione. There's that greasy-haired git, too. And I will enjoy personally killing the both of them.

click _Recording ends here._


	3. Harry Potter

_Harry Potter_

No, I don't have a statement for you. You pantywaists at the Ministry have done nothing since this war started _but _try to pin the blame on someone. Here's an idea for you—take action!

Oh, God, is that a Quick-Quotes Quill? Get rid of that thing—I hate those! I can see the recorder spell, you don't need that stupid quill.

Well, as much as I dislike the Ministry's current policies, I do know you're probably going to publish something all of wizarding Britain will read.

Okay, I suppose I'll give you a quote. Erm…Okay.

We have no evidence that Hermione is not under the Imperious Curse. Despite public belief, I do not believe Hermione is a dark witch. There is no evidence that my friend has joined the ranks of Lord Voldemort.

Yeah, that's all I'm going to say.

Go away.

Any time now.

I've got bits of Voldemort's soul to track down and destroy.

click _Recording ends here._


	4. The Daily Prophet

June 21

**Former Friends of You-Know-Who's First Lieutenant: How She Turned Dark**

**An Exposé of the Dark Lady's Descent**

James Skeeter, Reporting

The traitor Hermione Granger, former third of Hogwarts' Golden Trio and Researcher Extraordinaire for Dumbledore's Army is now, as we all know, Dark Lady and Trusted First Lieutenant to You-Know-Who.

But how did a girl that everyone thought was pure-hearted end up betraying the Boy-Who-Lived and becoming consort and right-hand witch to the darkest of the Dark Lords?

The Ministry of Magic, in its effort to collect evidence against the Girl-Who-Betrayed, gathered statements from the Dark Lady's former friends.

This reporter was in anguish to hear the pain and anger in the recordings of the interviews. Ginerva Weasley speaks in empty tones of her confusion.

"I don't understand," she says. Then she remembers her former friend immersing herself in researching the Dark Arts. She speculates, "She was so empty, so vulnerable, and the Dark Arts are so seductive."

It is certain that someone was seduced here—but this reporter chooses not to speculate whether it was the Dark Lady or the Dark Lord.

Ronald Weasley, ex-boyfriend of You-Know-Who's First Lieutenant, asserts his belief that Granger was not seduced.

"People don't just _turn _dark…it's part of who they are, deep down."

This reporter spoke with Alastor Moody, a retired Auror who does freelance work and is suspected to have ties to the much-lauded vigilante group known as the Order of the Phoenix, which is rumored to have been started by the late Albus Dumbledore.

Moody agreed with Weasley's assessment of dark witches and wizards.

"After the First Rise, some Death Eaters claimed they had been under the Imperious Curse in order to avoid Azkaban. And some folk really _were_ under Imperio. But not many. After you've seen enough Imperio'd people, you know what it looks like and you know what it takes to be put under it. Now I assessed Miss Granger's abilities two years ago—it's standard training now for youngsters to be taught to build up resistance to the Imperious Curse. Granger was particularly strong. It is my belief that it would take so much power to force her under that if she _were_ under the Imperious Curse, she would behave mindlessly, like the corpse-puppets the Death Eaters are now so fond of."

Is Hermione Granger under the Imperious Curse? This reporter thinks not.

Consider Ronald Weasley's report of her condition at the Battle of Privet Drive: "Yeah, You-Know-Who was there…and Hermione stood beside him, unbound, unshackled, and smiling. She cast the first curse. The _Crucatius_. At Harry."

The Ministry has issued its own official statement regarding the matter. "The witch Hermione Granger now styled as the Dark Lady is operating of her own free will."

And what about Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, betrayed again by someone close to him?

He speaks briefly—probably not liking to think about yet another memory of betrayal.

"Hermione is a dark witch," he says firmly. "My friend has joined the ranks of Lord Voldemort."

He bravely controls his emotions. He cannot dwell on the past.

"I've got bits of Voldemort's soul to track down and destroy."

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_Review and be my hero! -K._


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